Bethel, at its original location, was a Yup'ik village called
Mumtrekhlogamute, meaning "Smokehouse People," after the nearby fish
smokehouse. It was an Alaska Commercial Company trading post during
the late 1800s. It had a population of 41 people in the 1880 U.S.
Census. The Moravian Church established a mission in the area in 1885,
under the leadership of Rev. John Henry Kilbuck, Jr. Kilbuck learned
Yup'ik, which greatly enhanced his effectiveness as a missionary.
Missionaries moved Bethel from Mamterillermiut to its present location
on the west side of the Kuskokwim River. A United States Post Office
was opened in 1905.

Alaska Natives in this area also have a
long Christian history, in part from Russian Orthodox, Catholic and
Moravian influence. As in many Alaskan villages, Christian tradition
has become interwoven with its cultural history.

On February
19, 1997, a school shooting attracted widespread media attention to
Bethel when 16-year-old Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel Regional High
School, shot and killed his principal and one student and wounded two
others, for which he later received a 198-year prison sentence.

Kusilvak Census Area was formerly known as Wade Hampton Census
Area. The new name appropriately reflects and respects the culture and
history of Alaska. Kusilvak is a Yup'ik name meaning "the high one."
Kusilvak Mountain is the higest mountain in the area, located between
Scammon Bay and Mountain Village.